Visas Issued in Vietnam in 2015

Every year, we bring you an update of visa activities at the US Consulate General in Saigon. The latest statistics, for 2015, are not very different from 2014, but there are some interesting points that we observe when looking at the numbers.

In 2015, the Consulate issued 8,500 visas for immediate relatives of US citizens (spouse, child or parent). This is about 1,300 more immediate relative visas than in 2014. Family Preference visas or Quota visas were at 18,310 for 2015, almost the same as in 2014. Totals for all immigrant visas were 26,833 for 2015. This is an increase of about 2,600 compared to 2014.

Just over 100,000 non-immigrant visas were issued in 2015: 23,500 by the US Embassy in HaNoi and 77,700 by the Consulate in Saigon. This includes visas for tourists, businessmen and students.

In all of the Family Preference or Quota categories, there was not much difference between 2014 and 2015.


In the Immediate relative category, 3,200 visas were issued in 2015 for spouses of US citizens. This is 800 more than in 2014. IR-5 visas for the parents of US citizens increased from 3,000 in 2014 to 4,300 in 2015.

Adoption cases are not present in the Immediate relative visa numbers. In September 2014, the new adoption agreement between the US and Vietnam went into effect. It is now called the Special Adoption Program. The main points are that the children for adoption must be chosen by the Vietnamese government, usually from children living in orphanages and hospitals. Children that will be offered by the government for adoption are limited to those with special needs, or those between five and fifteen years of age.

In 2015, no adoption visas were issued by the US Embassy, but it is too soon to draw any conclusion. Adoption cases usually take 2 to 3 years for processing, and the new adoption program is less than two years old.

Amerasians: The law concerning Amerasians took effect on March 21, 1988 and allowed Vietnamese Amerasians born January 1, 1962 through January 1, 1976 to apply for immigrant visas. In 1990, almost 18,000 visas were issued for Amerasian applicants, including their immediate family members. In 1991, 17,000 Amerasian visas were issued. In the following years, the numbers declined steadily. In 2015, only 4 Amerasians, along with nine family members, were given visas. Visas are still available for qualified Amerasians, though it is unlikely that any more will be interested in leaving Vietnam.

The State Department gives statistics for 4 categories of Employment visas:

EB1 visas for people who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, and for outstanding professors and researchers, and for certain multinational executives and managers. Vietnamese citizens received 37 EB1 visas in 2015.

There were 247 EB2 visas issued in 2015 for Vietnamese members of the professions holding advanced degrees or people of exceptional ability.

One hundred and six EB3 visas were issued to Vietnamese Professionals with a bachelor’s degree or to skilled workers.

About 350 EB4 visas were issued to ministers and religious workers from Vietnam in 2015.

There is one more category that is generating a lot of interest and a lot of questionable activity. That is the EB3 Unskilled Worker visa. This is for workers who perform unskilled labor and it leads to a Green Card. Typical jobs in this category would be in food processing factories, the hospitality and restaurant industry, or care givers of various types. The employer must show the US government that there are no local employees available for the job.

In 2015, EB3 Unskilled Worker visas were issued to citizens of China (440), South Korea (580), and the Philippines (234). In 2015, the US Consulate in Saigondid not issue any EB3 visas for Unskilled Workers. In 2014, the US Consulate in Saigon did not issue any EB3 visas for Unskilled Workers. In fact, the US Consulate in Saigon has NEVER, repeat NEVER, issued any EB3 visas for unskilled workers.

However, some people in Vietnam are so desperate to get a Green Card that they are willing to believe the false promises of unscrupulous agents both in Saigon and in the US. We know of many cases where people paid Twenty Thousand Dollars or more to agents and never got an EB3 visa.

In the media last month was the report concerning Mr. Nguyen Van Hai of Washington. Federal agents in the US are investigating him for a massive immigration scam, saying he allegedly cheated several people nationwide out of more than US$1 million with promises to secure work visas for Vietnamese immigrants. Police say Nguyen lured victims through a variety of Facebook pages and by placing advertisements in Vietnamese newspapers. He reportedly uses the money to support his gambling habit.

We know that no matter how much we warn, no matter how much we try to expose the EB3 scams, people will continue to try to get these visas. All we can do is suggest that no one should pay more than $5,000 to any agent for an EB3 visa, and no payment should be made until the EB3 visa is stamped in the passport.
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Q.1. Which one of the presidential candidates is more likely to work for immigration reform?
A.1. Mr. Trump has made his anti-immigration views very clear, while Mrs. Clinton has promised to help illegal aliens in the US. None of the candidates is concerned about making legal immigration easier for applicants outside the US.
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Q.2. Will the new Supreme Court Justice be a factor in the Executive Action case now with the court?
A.2. Right now we don’t even know if the new judge will be approved by the Senate during the next couple of months. In April the Court will hear arguments about the Executive Actions. The final decision about the fate of DAPA and DACA is expected in June.
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Q.3. In 2015, were there any new policies about visa issuing at the US Consulate in Saigon?
A.3. In 2015, it was “business as usual” at the Consulate. There have been no changes to make things easier or to make things more difficult.

ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com www.facebook.com/rmiodp
Immigration Support Services - Tham Van Di Tru

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